Elias Theodorou of Mississauga, Ont., is one of eight Canadians competing on TUF Nations. He will be writing weekly blogs for sportsnet.ca to share an inside perspective about what went on inside the gym and house.
TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia episode two recap
Last week Team Canada saw its first victory with Kajan Johnson’s rear-naked choke in the first round of his bout against “The Badger” Brendan O’Reilly. A well-deserved win for the very experienced Mr. Kajan. This allowed our team to keep control of the next pick and Patrick Cote chose me to represent the first middleweight bout of the tournament. I was set to fight Brazilian jiu-jitsu stud, and fellow undefeated fighter, Zein Saliba.
An early advantage…
Besides obviously winning the war of best hair, even before stepping into the cage, I felt good going into this fight. Patrick and the rest of the coaches did plenty of research on each fighter, both on our team and our Aussie counterpoints. Patrick even had a binder full of notes on each fighter, which he would refer to every fight pick. It was kind of cute actually, seeing him sit in his makeshift office looking at notes, But it also showed how seriously he took the tournament. He has our back, along with the other coaches, Fabio, David and Kru Ash, who all worked hard to make us as prepared on fight day as possible.
Now, contrast that with Zein’s own words that he had “no knowledge” of me going into the fight. This of course isn’t my mate’s fault, but rather a lack of direction from his coaches. I mean they didn’t receive a striking coach until Day 8 of the tournament. This probably should shine some light into why the Aussies are scrambling to get themselves in order but I guess better late than never.
Confidence and a happy chin…
Going into the cage I felt confident for many reasons. Even though Zein is a higher level of grappler than I am, he is not a complete MMA fighter just yet. Not to mention going in I knew he would have neither the stamina nor the strength to handle my pace. Also, along with half the professional experience I have, his hands as Cote explained, were non-existent. That made my chin happy, and as it takes up roughly 80 per cent of my head, that’s a good thing.
“With great chin, comes great responsibility.”
Fighting through the pressure…
I was also responsible for keeping the ball rolling for our team, which is a lot of weight on one’s shoulders. Luckily “I lift, bro.” Right from the beginning of the bout I was able to dictate much of the pace and tone of the fight. With consistent lifts, slams and rolls, I secured a victory not only for myself but another for Team Canada.
There are many things I would like to improve on going forward. Every fighter wants to finish in spectacular fashion. In my previous two fights before TUF, those same slams resulted in TKO’s via rib injuries. Unfortunately for me that didn’t occur in my first fight in the house. It is hard to truly explain how the TUF fight felt compared to my previous eight pro bouts. For me, it felt like a hard sparring session, with all eyes on you, including some very important people watching you. Those that train martial arts will know exactly what I mean. The important part was getting my hand raised, as I am now one step closer to being the first Canadian Ultimate Fighter. 2-0 Team Canada.
Don’t’ be mad homie…
My win clearly didn’t sit well with Kyle Noke or the rest of the Australian team. How could it? For a second time, one of the loudest mouths on the show just beat one of his fighters. This made our team more confident, as Team Australia sinks further behind our momentum. The Mighty Moose once again prevails!
Chad’s turn…
Next up is fellow undefeated fighter Chad Laprise. Chad and I have known each other for years, as we’ve crossed paths a few times in the regional circuit. We’ve also trained together. He’s a great guy and a stud in the cage. He’s a quintessential striker and loves it that way. I always see him smiling whenever he talks about it. Similar to the few times you catch Chad on the pool table (he’s a shark by the way) and will snipe you there as well. He was my favourite welterweight going into this tournament and next week we get to see how he fares against the man standing in his way: grappler Chris Indich, who has done quite a bit of world traveling, including to many of the best spots in Vegas. There is much more to him than being a traditional grappler.
As each week continues, more pride, honour and testosterone gets put on the line. We are not just fighting for a contract. We are fighting for our futures. We are fighting to be the next Ultimate Fighter. So see you all after episode three. It’s going to be a great fight and I can’t wait to share the experience with you.
Until next week,
The Spartan.
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasTheodorou